2009 Halloween Classic

Mansfield, OH

October 17-18

Leading up to  the weekend the weather forecast was looking like it was going to be the story of this years Halloween Classic.  And as it turned out it was, but for the most part, not at all as anticipated.  It was cold, but not bitter cold. 42 degrees was forecast for the high Saturday with overcast skies and occasional rain, but we got 46 degrees and the rain quit by 10:00 a.m. and half way up the first beat of race one, breaks in the cloud deck began to appear, lighting up spots of fall colors around the Lake.  It may not sound like much of an improvement but it was just enough to allow us to focus on the other part of the weather, a steady 6-12 knot breeze all afternoon right down the lake out of the North.  Sunday was frosty, but with clear blue skies and 53 degrees by afternoon, AND the wind was zero during breakfast, 5 knots while we launched, 8 knots for race four and gusting over 20 by the last race, right down the lake.  Typical Mohican.

Chuck Connors and Craig Kvale were down from Edgewater in their beautifully restored #530, when they left home Lake Erie had winds over 22 knots and waves in the 4-6 range and rain, lots of it, not to mention temps in the mid thirties.  Well, they came down anyway thinking,  it most likely will be better than this......I guess such things are relative and sure enough after rounding the first weather mark of race one, in third, Craig was so pleased with the conditions that he jumped in the lake!  They then ran over their spinnaker, tearing it, hurried in, taped the chute and came back out for the rest of the afternoon.  No one said much about it but it seems at that point for anyone else to complain about the cold, well, it just sounded silly.

Back on the race course Bryan and Tiffany Parker picked up where left off at Hoover two weeks earlier and just commenced to drill the whole fleet with one win after another.  Nate Ireland with Brynn crewing,( I would give you Brynn’s last name but apparently our registration form that asked for the Helm’s and Crew’s full name was just too confusing for some) anyway Nate had lost a piece of forestay that he had relied on for setting up his rig.  He would have to start from scratch and do some new tuning on the fly.  And man did they, after race one they were one of the very few boats to seriously challenge the Parkers. 

Also laughing in the face of the weather forecast, back in a Jet for the first time since 2008, co- helming were Hank Boissoneault and Ryan Kyle.  Anyone who has tried it knows how hard it can be to get into an unfamiliar boat that is not set up or going very well, and be anything like competitive.  Competive they were, right out of the box and as the series went on they only got better, sticking #120 in front of the whole fleet at mark after mark.  First class sailing guys.

But if making the best out of a series with a boat that is way off the pace is the test then the “other” Parkers, (Bryan’s mom and dad) Dick and Debbie Parker take the cake. #1076 had changed many hands and not seen a race course in over a year and was basically moth-balled.   Slowly but surely the rigging was made to work and the rig was pushed into a better place and up through the fleet they worked.  By the last race they were just plan in it, trading takes with the leaders. 

The steady team of Bridget Ireland and Joe Minerd were back and took the weather issue head on.  Joe was suited up in an eclectic mishmash of gear much of which I am not really able to describe.  There were ski goggles and maybe a snorkel, fins and webbed parts, part of a sleeping bag I think, topped off with a tarp if my guess is correct.  Bridget seemed to spend most of her time just trying to see around him but managed some fantastic upwind legs that were good enough for a fifth overall.

Chris, Paula and Olivia Hennon get the travellers award, up from N.C.  If you haven’t seen their fantastic restoration of #483 you better look quick because they are scary fast.  Right now they go equally fast in the wrong direction as they do in the right.  In race 5 in a building 15 knot breeze they got it right and lead by 20 boatlenghts up the second beat when the vang let loose.  They still held on for a third and headed in with a list of “up-grades” for the winter projects.

Ivan Baker and Chris Hinshaw were down in #443 and were just having a blast.   They are both about six feet tall and weight maybe 140lb., so you might think the cold would not be kind to them.  Not so as Ivan announce repeatedly loud enough for all the duck hunters hiding around the edges of the lake to hear.

Mohican’s Stewart Fitzgibbon was back in his new Jet #1161 with Tom Wills on board.  In addition to putting in a solid performance on the water Stewart and Tom helped with keeping everyone warm(er) and fed.  Thank you both.  Karen Hugon and long time crew Ann Roessner were much higher in the fleet all weekend than their finishes might suggest, and cooked and served up Saturdays lunch.  Thank you girls.   Those of you that know them can testify to their easygoing cheerful demeanor.  You should then notice that their best race was the last one, when the wind got up over 20 knots.  And finally, the most important finishing position of all was my sister Barb with Sue Wills crewing.  Sue made the trophies, and my sister had arrived back in Ohio after 9:00 p.m. Saturday from a five day drive from Seattle Washington with my other sister Karen.  I was afraid she might be too exhausted to sail after that, but she said after being in the car with Karen for five days she was looking forward to getting out even if she had to swim the course?

I can not end without thanking in the most sincere way I can the Race Committee.  Mike and Mary Fulton, and Denny Dieball voluntarily spent two days sitting on a floatboat in weather that many decided not to sail in, and said they enjoyed it!  Denny even made the coffee each morning and kept the fires going in the Clubhouse.

And my biggest thanks goes to my wife and stepdaughter Emma.  Emma gave us her weekend to help out at the club and keep an eye on the little ones.  Carol helped me run the thing and then went out and sailed as hard as she could for two days.  This is a women who thinks that sailing in any temperatures under 80 degrees is borderline.  Thank you both from the bottom of my heart.

We’ll do it again next year, but don’t count on such splendid weather.

Marion Zaugg

Pictures
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Race

Place

Sail

Skipper

Crew

1

2

3

4

5

6

Total

1

1135

 B. Parker

 T. Parker

 1

 1

 1

 1

1

1

 6

2

 1132

 M. Zaugg

 C. Zaugg

 2

 2

 3

 2

5

2

16

3

 1134

 N. Ireland

 Brynn

 6

 3

 2

 3

2

4

 20

4

 120

 H. Boissoneault (co)

 R. Kyle (Co)

 4

 6

 4

 4

6

3

 27

5

 1147

 B. ireland

 J. Minerd

 3

 8

 5

 5

4

6

 31

6

 443

 I. Baker

 C. Hinshaw

 7

4

7

 6

7

8

39

7

483

 C. Hennon

 P. Hennon

5

7

10

7

3

DNS

45

8

530

 C. Connors

 C. Kvale

11

5

6

9

8

9

48

9

1076

 Dick Parker

 Debbie Parker

9

10

9

8

9

5

50

10

1161

 S. FitzGibbon

 T. Wills

10

9

8

12

10

10

59

11

884

 K. Hugon

 A. Roessner

8

11

11

11

12

7

60

12

94

 B. Joudrey

 S. Wills

DNS

DNS

DNS

10

11

11

68


Results Posted 10/22/2009

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